SpaceX and the California Coastal Commission have settled a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s rocket company over the agency’s attempt to regulate its flights from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The settlement was reached last week by the two sides, but the details won’t be made public until it is approved by Los Angeles U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr.
The case would remain pending if the settlement is not accepted. SpaceX and the Coastal Commission did not respond to messages asking for comment.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 after the agency that oversees the state’s coastal development denied a plan by the rocket company to sharply increase its launches from the Santa Barbara County facility.
The rocket company has been launching its Starlink broadband satellites into space from the site, raising concerns about its effect on wildlife.
Nearby residents also have complained of sonic booms created by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX contends that the state doesn’t have authority over its launches at the military base, and alleged political bias after several commissioners noted Musk’s politics, including his support of President Trump, during a hearing on the matter in 2024.
“Mr. Musk controls ‘one of the most extensive communications networks on the planet,’ and … ‘just last week’ Mr. Musk was ‘speaking about political retribution on a national stage,’” was one comment cited by SpaceX in court papers.
Blumenfeld dismissed the lawsuit in March 2025 but allowed SpaceX to amend and refile its complaint.
In July, he dismissed multiple causes of action in the second complaint, including claims for financial damages against four commissioners, but allowed others to move forward.
It’s unclear what practical effect the settlement might have.
Last August, the commission also turned down a plan to boost the number of flights to 95 per year. However, the Space Force has exercised its federal authority to launch more flights from the base despite the agency’s disapproval.
Seventy-one rockets blasted off last year, most of them by SpaceX. One hundred or more could take off this year, possibly making it the busiest spaceport in the world.
SpaceX also plans to launch its much bigger Falcon Heavy rockets from another pad. The rocket straps three Falcon 9 rocket cores together and has 27 liftoff engines, compared with nine for the smaller rocket.
More concerning to critics is a decision by the Space Force in December to invite rocket companies to build and operate a “super heavy” launchpad on the base with an even more powerful rocket.
The Space Force contends it follows federal environmental laws and has commissioned studies to lessen the flights’ impact on wildlife and reduce residents’ exposure to sonic booms.
